While House Democrats blasted Republicans for voting to change the rules to allow closed caucus meetings, Republicans fought back by calling Democrats hypocritical for opposing the change because Democrats have held secret meetings for years.

House Democrats in their leadership meeting on Thursday chose Rep. Eric Meyer of Paradise Valley as their new leader, replacing the outgoing minority leader, Rep. Chad Campbell of Phoenix. Meyer is in his fourth term at the Legislature, and hails from the Republican-leaning Legislative District 28.

Almost two dozen incumbent lawmakers can boast of earning the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s endorsement despite opposing the business community’s biggest policy positions in the last two years.

Democratic Sen. Ed Ableser of Tempe regained his title of most absentee lawmaker this year, showing up for only 62 percent of Senate floor sessions, though he voted on 70 percent of all the bills put before the chamber.

Not content to deal with domestic issues, the Arizona House has gone on record as saying the entire West Bank belongs to Israel and the 650,000 Jews who have settled there since the 1967 war “reside there legitimately.’’

Gov. Jan Brewer made Child Protective Services the centerpiece of her legislative agenda this year, but after four months of debate, lawmakers sent her a budget that leaves much of the work and funding necessary to create a new child protection agency unfinished.